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Synonym Chooser

How is the word sly distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of sly are artful, crafty, cunning, foxy, slick, tricky, and wily. While all these words mean "attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means," sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

Where would artful be a reasonable alternative to sly?

The words artful and sly are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

When could crafty be used to replace sly?

While in some cases nearly identical to sly, crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

In what contexts can cunning take the place of sly?

While the synonyms cunning and sly are close in meaning, cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

When is it sensible to use foxy instead of sly?

The synonyms foxy and sly are sometimes interchangeable, but foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

When is slick a more appropriate choice than sly?

In some situations, the words slick and sly are roughly equivalent. However, slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

When might tricky be a better fit than sly?

Although the words tricky and sly have much in common, tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

When would wily be a good substitute for sly?

The meanings of wily and sly largely overlap; however, wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sly The trio laughed at his sly line of questioning. Angel Saunders, People.com, 29 Aug. 2025 Beulah is reportedly the sly and powerful head of a ranch in Texas. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2025 Kennedy Tolson is the sly queen of side-eye as the disobedient new housemaid Nancy. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025 Champagne Poppy, by contrast, is a lighter poppy seed cookie that features sly citrus notes. Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 15 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sly
Adjective
  • Maigret must outwit some of Paris’s most cunning and violent criminals, while dealing with his own troubled past.
    Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
  • These subsidies were cunning, part of a decades-long effort to keep alive the myths that offshore wind energy is nearly self-sufficient and generates increasingly inexpensive electricity.
    Craig Rucker, Boston Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • But when a mysterious and powerful agent disrupts the negotiations, Brahim discovers the shady side of the business.
    Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Remove a few overhead tree branches if your planting site is too shady.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • During the preview, a mischievous group of young diplodocus splash in the water around a pair of kayaking guests, while other juveniles like the triceratops are more cautious in nature, choosing to stick close to their parents.
    Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
  • The characters are bright, marionette-like caricatures whom the author constructs and moves ostentatiously in full view of the reader, revealing his artistic devices with a sense of absurd, mischievous humor.
    Nelly Klos September 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The brand’s Deep Trance Corduroy Pants are also a cute option to wear with some boots and a pea or trench coat this season.
    Shawna Hudson, StyleCaster, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Best Toy for Imaginative Play Plant the seeds of creative play with this trio of plush toy veggies that are too cute to eat.
    Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Washington is a sneaky-good replacement for Tyreek Hill, given his comparable speed and elusiveness.
    Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
  • The character had a sneaky pathos.
    Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • For some, that Friday will be extra wicked, but for a good reason.
    Addy Bink, The Hill, 30 Sep. 2025
  • As if Minos inspired such hatred, such fear and disgust, that the feelings themselves boiled up from Daedalus’s heart and gushed out through the tap to cook the wicked king alive.
    Seamus Sullivan September 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In a subtler interpretation of the trend, the Jazz bookshelf is handcrafted in oak that takes on a golden hue when hit with the right light.
    Rachel Gallaher, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Cohen and other researchers have identified many subtle fixes that improve kids’ eating habits.
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • What is left of Bob’s old revolutionary group, the French 75, has gone to ground, sending furtive signals out into the universe now and again but otherwise lying dormant.
    Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Silver might be comforted by the fact that even many liberals who had fled for Bluesky seem to be embracing X-ism once more, creeping back onto the platform with a certain furtive guilt.
    Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sly. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

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